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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25318948">Counting Down the Days</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyoonlight/pseuds/hyoonlight'>hyoonlight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ATEEZ (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Other, hee hoo hooty hoo dumbass ur classmate is the other royal child, mingi and yunho are moral support, royalty au but also modern u get what i mean, san is oblivious to the fact that he's a royal child, until the government confirms it, yay (boo) capitalism</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:08:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25318948</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyoonlight/pseuds/hyoonlight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>San finds out that he's Na Hyunsu, the royal child of the (now deceased) royal family. He is asked to lead his people, but what happens when the other royal child is the classmate he hates the most? What happens when they accidentally fall for each other? What will the people think?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. fuck yunho is interested in something again here we go</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>heyyyy sexcs this is supposed to be about what happens after he finds out so this first chapter is a lil fast paced hope u enjoy mwah</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Guys holy <em> shit!” </em>were the first words out of Yunho’s mouth as he sat down at the lunch table with his friends. San and Mingi looked at him with a confused gaze, not sure what it could be that has Yunho this excited. If San remembered correctly, the last time he was this excited was when he got a confession letter from Mingi, which San knows he kept for good memories. </p><p> </p><p>Yunho, however, kept smiling, despite the questioning faces looking to him for answers. He took out his phone, which San predicted he’d use to show them a video, like he did from time to time. They stared in interest, because if Yunho liked something, it was obviously going to be interesting to the other two. </p><p> </p><p>“Watch this!” He pressed play on the video, which San noticed was strangely long for Yunho’s attention span. He figured it must’ve been <em> really </em>interesting, then, because Yunho has yet to stop smiling. </p><p> </p><p>The video started in a run-down building. Whoever was behind the camera was nervous, and San noticed this because of the shaky movement that it seemed only he picked up. San really had an eye for small details.</p><p> </p><p>Sometimes he’d even scare people with his observations, because on occasions, not even the subjects of what san observed would’ve known what San did. He tried his best not to do that, but he couldn’t help it. That was him, and that was life.</p><p> </p><p>As the video camera panned around the room once again, anyone with decent eyesight could notice that the building had been abandoned for years. The paint on the walls was chipped, and even the ceiling was slightly cracked. It looked like it could fall on the strangers at any second, and them jumping in the scattered rubble didn’t seem to help either. </p><p> </p><p>The rest of the video was nothing out of the ordinary, but still interesting. The handful of people there explored the rest of what looked to be a hospital, while uncovering bits and pieces of intriguing history throughout. Somehow San knew why Yunho was showing them this, because when he stopped the video, he could already tell what Yunho was going to say.</p><p> </p><p>“Let me guess, you want us to explore abandoned places with you, right?” San asked with one eyebrow raised. Yunho paused to look at him and giggled.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! Are you guys up for it?” Mingi nodded enthusiastically. San himself was a bit hesitant, since he recalled the video Yunho sent, and the details he picked up from it. It seemed to him that it could be dangerous to some extent. The roof looked like it could fall at any second. </p><p> </p><p>Still, after giving it some thought and weighing the pros and cons, he agreed as well. There couldn’t be too much that could go wrong, after all. Plus, he liked adventure. </p><p> </p><p>So, that was San’s weekend planned. Yunho seemed excited; in fact, way more excited than San himself. All three of them planned out a few places after searching online, and they struck gold.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them decided on Jeongjesu Castle after doing a bit of digging online. Yunho’s eyes lit up.</p><p> </p><p>“We are <em> definitely </em> going there!” Mingi and San both nodded at the outburst. San had a weird feeling in his stomach, though. It was like the castle was calling for him to explore it, but San ignored the feeling. <em> Maybe it’s something else. I didn’t eat much, after all. </em></p><p> </p><p>“What if one of us is royalty?” Mingi proposed, looking smug. “I think it’s me!” San rolled his eyes at him.</p><p> </p><p>“It could be,” Yunho said with confidence. He then added, “I mean, you’re totally hot enough.” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god, seriously? Right in front of my salad?” San groaned. The boys all giggled together before something popped into Yunho’s mind.</p><p> </p><p>“But how will we get in?” Yunho asked. San thought about it. He didn’t <em> really </em>know his way around town, much less, the castle. But-</p><p> </p><p>/</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Miyoung! Come here!” Hyunsu’s sister shuffled over to their father. All Hyunsu could do was stare — he hadn’t learned to talk yet, but the echoed voice of the powerful man conveyed everything he needed to know.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “What is it, Papa?” she asked. Papa picked her up and sat her on his leg, bringing her close as if to share a secret with her. Hyunsu could still hear everything because he was right beside them, chewing on his pacifier.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “If you ever get locked out of this castle,” he said, “I want to tell you a secret entrance just in case.” Hyunsu could understand every word. He was an intelligent baby, but that still didn’t give him the ability to talk. He barely had teeth yet.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> “The entrance is at the back. You’ll see the normal back of the castle, just like you’ve always remembered it to be, but if you look closer, there’s a faint outline of a small door. Use that when you need to.” She nodded at Papa. </em><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em> “Yes, Papa!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>/</p><p> </p><p>San snapped his fingers. “There’s a small door at the back!” He was instantly taken aback by the information that just left his mouth. <em> Where did I get that from?  </em></p><p> </p><p>“What? are you sure?” Yunho asked, feeling the same way San seemed to be. San thought for a moment. What was that flashback? Was that him, or was he astral projecting into the body of a potential royal?</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know,” he replied with the questions still running through his mind. “But we can try!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, you’re right!” Mingi exclaimed.</p><p> </p><p>“However—” Yunho put his index finger up, “—we shall eat first!” They all laughed together yet again, while San thought of the weekend to come.</p><p> </p><p>/ / /</p><p> </p><p>San walked through the door of his house and the smell of dinner instantly hit his nose.</p><p> </p><p>“Welcome home, honey!” He heard his mother from the kitchen, which was the source of the smell. He leaned in to say hi, before ultimately decided to go ahead and ask her about his weekend plans. <em> She must know Jeongjesu castle. She was an adult when the tragedy happened. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Hey mom,” he started, looking towards her. She turned around and prepared to listen to what he had to say. He hesitated at first, but he knew there was no backing out now.  “Do you know Jeongjesu Castle?”</p><p> </p><p>She kept her gaze on him as she put down the whisk in her hand. “Of course I do, baby, what about it?” she asked, curious as to why he’d ask this in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>“Well— me and my friends who you’ve met before, Yunho and Mingi, were planning to explore it this weekend,” he said, now avoiding eye contact.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s fine, but how will you get in?”</p><p> </p><p>“I think I know how. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that at the back, there’s a little door.” Her eyes widened as she remembered the day it all went down.</p><p> </p><p>“Just- just be careful…” she said to him with no further comment. <em> That was weird. </em></p><p> </p><p>He headed upstairs towards his room and immediately opened Google to find out what else was in that castle to see. San knew they would be recording it to post, since a lot of people also want to explore it, so that was set. But they wanted to know exactly what kind of content they would be making public; and also what to leave out of the video.</p><p> </p><p>“Some speculate there might be clues as to if the youngest children from both families are still alive,” he muttered to himself, “and clues as to who they might be hidden as if this is true.” He smiled as he thought of all of the history they could find in there.</p><p> </p><p>The castle itself hadn’t been abandoned long, since it only had been left to rot for 16 years now, but it had been built long before. He thought of all the old pottery and stained glass windows, telling the story of an unknown thousands of artists. </p><p> </p><p>Art was one of San’s hobbies. He didn’t tell many people, but the ones he does tell— being his close friends and family— think that he’s an art prodigy. He didn’t think so, but at least there were people who encouraged him to keep going.</p><p> </p><p>San also found pictures of the inside. It was a warm orange-brown color, with a huge throne room as you’d imagine a castle to have. The windows told the story of the ones which came before the last family. There were wars, battles, and everything in between. He would imagine they were broken, though, as the last time people were in that castle was when chaos had squeezed it clean from its last life.</p><p> </p><p>The castle had countless things made from gold and silver. San saw the bedrooms and bathrooms along with the ballroom and thousand other rooms for the castle staff and royals themselves. Overall, it was a beautiful building, which was now haunted with the story of January 2001.</p><p>San started thinking of what they might see when they explore the whole castle, and that got him <em> really </em> excited. If one of them really was royalty, San couldn’t wait to find out. If anything, it would probably be Yunho. He has the leadership skills, and although San himself has always felt the need to lead <em> something, </em>Yunho is the one who could do it all. Right?</p><p> </p><p>He tried not to think too much, however, because the weekend was still two days away. The thought then drifted to the back of his head, waiting to come to the surface later for more thought.</p><p> </p><p>/ / /</p><p> </p><p>It felt like forever since they made the plans to explore, but the day had finally gotten there. San almost wanted to scream in excitement. He threw on some nice-looking clothes and rushed out the door to meet his friends in an area they agreed on, before almost forgetting to bring the camera.</p><p> </p><p>“Right,” he whispered as he finally grabbed it.</p><p> </p><p>The weather outside was clear, with almost no clouds in the sky. The sun shined down to hit San’s fact as he looked up, enjoying his time outdoors. Yes, he had places to be, but he decided to let himself calm down before he ran.</p><p> </p><p>The birds flew by and chirped at san along the way, while he looked back at them and smiled. That day almost was <em> too perfect. </em>San felt as if something would happen, but he didn’t let it bother him. He just needed to enjoy it.</p><p> </p><p>As he finally reached the park, he immediately saw Yunho and Mingi waiting impatiently for him.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry I’m late! I almost forgot my camera.” He held the camera up for the boys to see it. Yunho gave him his tripod to be the cameraman for most of the trip. He knew San didn’t like to be filmed; only agreeing to it when he felt confident. Yunho understood that.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go!” Mingi almost screamed with the same excitement the other two had for the adventure that awaited. </p><p> </p><p>As they reached Jeongjesu Castle, San noticed that it looked almost the same as it did in the pictures, just more worn down and with a few broken windows. <em> I knew it, </em>he thought. </p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go around back to check.” Yunho remembered what San said. Both of the others soon followed behind. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s actually here!” Yunho yelled, which made San and Mingi come running. They saw what he was talking about— the door San mentioned that could be there was actually there, sitting right in front of their eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“San, how did you know?” Mingi asked. San was baffled by his mind. How the everloving <em> fuck </em>did he-</p><p> </p><p>“Premonition daydream, I guess.” The other two looked at him like they didn’t believe what he just said. “What? I’m telling the truth. Although, I don’t know why I was in the body of possibly the youngest— Hyunsu.” The name felt familiar to him, but he didn’t know why.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s weird,” Yunho pointed out. “Well, let’s just forget about it. It doesn’t matter, because it actually helped!”</p><p> </p><p>They pried open the door with their combined strength, which wasn’t much. It got the door open though, and dust flew out of the opening right into the trio’s faces. </p><p> </p><p>“God, it seems like it’s been abandoned for <em> centuries, </em>” Mingi wheezed. They all crawled inside, with San being the easiest to get in. </p><p> </p><p>The door opened into the main kitchen of the house, and they stood up in front of a table which hid it. San immediately turned on the camera he held and panned it around the room. It was filled to the brim with cooking supplies, whether it be pots and pans or a various arrangement of knives. The wallpaper was cracked. There were cobwebs everywhere, and San felt like he was always 3 seconds away from sneezing or coughing his lungs out. However, he didn’t, and the other two talked while they kept going and exploring more of the castle.</p><p> </p><p>The next room was a simple lounge room. The couches looked designer, though covered with what looked like more dust. It had a TV, which didn’t work of course, but the boys still tried anyway.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah,” Yunho said, poking his head into the room that branched off from that one.</p><p> </p><p><em> The throne room. </em> It looked way bigger than the pictures that San looked at, with the stained glass windows spanning all the way to the high ceiling. They thankfully weren’t broken this time, and San got to see them just as the pictures were. </p><p>The biggest sight was the large painting of the family over the actual thrones. The painting held each member of the royal family— Na Byeongho, Na Minji, Kang Eunyoung, Na Miyoung, and the youngest, Na Hyunsu. San learned their names from history class, so they wouldn’t be forgotten. He’s even read the multiple theories that Na Hyunsu and the only child from the other royal family, Jeon Jaehee are still alive.</p><p> </p><p>Though, he doesn’t really understand the reason why both royal families were killed in the first place. He knows they were killed because Hyunsu was supposed to marry Jaehee, but if it was for the sake of keeping royal bloodlines, why did it matter that it was two boys? He always thought that was dumb.</p><p> </p><p>“San!” Mingi called, waving him over to the platform in front of the thrones. “Could you draw what Hyunsu would look like at our age?” San nodded and pulled his sketchbook from the backpack he packed earlier. </p><p> </p><p>He only looked back to the painting briefly to get more of an idea of what Hyunsu would look like. He didn’t think; he just did. The pencil he held wasn’t expensive, and neither was the sketchbook, but it still looked like something out of an art master. Yunho and Mingi watched with amazement as the boy refused to stop until it caught up to his standards. The camera was on him, too, but he didn’t seem to care.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright San, you’re joking with us,” Yunho said when he showed the work to them. </p><p> </p><p>“But I’m not,” he said with furrowed eyebrows. “Look.”</p><p> </p><p>San started pointing out the similarities between his drawing and the painting above. They had the same nose, eyes, and lips. It looked exactly like a grown up version of Hyunsu.</p><p> </p><p>“But that is a spitting image of you, San,” Mingi told him. San finally took a good look at the finished piece and realized why they didn’t exactly believe him.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Oh. </em>” </p><p> </p><p>They all looked at each other for a few seconds.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s just keep exploring,” Yunho told them.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, you’re right, we’re not even nearly done.” Mingi laughed it off.</p><p> </p><p>San took the camera back, and decided to keep his findings a secret and act like it was all a joke. <em> But it isn’t, </em> he thought. <em> So why does it look almost exactly like me? </em></p><p> </p><p>/ / /</p><p> </p><p>“Here we are. Miyoung’s room,” Yunho told the camera. San looked around and walked to every corner, showing everything there was. The dresser looked like you’d imagine, and so did the rest of the room. Miyoung’s bed had a curtain draped around it, and the mirror on the other wall was cracked. San looked at wallpaper which was peeling from the walls, soon to reach the floor if not cared for.</p><p> </p><p>Yunho then pulled the curtain to the side to view the actual bed.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s her diary,” he said. “Let’s read it.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “January 6th, 2001; </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Dear diary, This will most likely be my last entry. The people have come and killed most of my family except for my baby brother. I’m hiding right now. I can hear them shattering the window panes trying to look for me. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> They’ve taken my brother away. They say they will take both Hyunsu and Jaehee somewhere safe and change their names so no one knows it’s them. They talked about giving them to middle-class families who have always supported the royal family to keep it secret. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I heard Jaehee’s name will be Jung Wooyoung. I hope he grows up well. And my brother's name will be Choi San. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I really hope-” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“It cuts off there with blood…” Yunho trails off. “But-” Both of the boys look at San with widened eyes.</p><p> </p><p>San knew why they were looking at him like that. He ran over to see the writing, and there it was, right there— his name.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god, so one of us IS royalty!” Mingi yelled.</p><p> </p><p>“Now wait a minute. We don’t exactly know, because there could be multiple Choi San’s.” They looked at him like he was stupid.</p><p> </p><p>“San— or should I say, Hyunsu, do you remember the picture you drew of what he- <em> you </em>would look like at our age?” he asked. Then, San remembered.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck.” </p><p> </p><p>“That isn’t something a royal would say,” Mingi pointed out.</p><p> </p><p>“Shut <em> up, </em>this isn’t a time for jokes,” San said. “Here—  hold the camera.”</p><p> </p><p>Yunho pointed the camera at him. San was sweaty, wide-eyed and overall freaking out. He had his hand up against his forehead, trying to find a logical explanation other than <em> I am royalty. </em></p><p> </p><p>“What the <em> hell, </em> ” San kept repeating. “What do we do? Who do we <em> go </em>to—”</p><p> </p><p>“San. Calm down.” Yunho said from behind the camera. “We’ll figure it out.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it could be something someone left here after exploring,” San said.</p><p> </p><p>“But that’s impossible, there weren’t any fingerprints. It was really dusty,” Mingi pointed out. “We would’ve known. This is real, San.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well this is definitely going on YouTube then!” Yunho screamed. “Think of the title! ‘Exploring Jeongjesu Castle (ONE OF US IS ROYALTY?! NOT CLICKBAIT)’”</p><p> </p><p>San finally laughed. “No one will believe it, idiot.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not unless we go to the authorities.” Mingi smiled proudly at his suggestion. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, yes, you’re right,” San said. “But what if I’m not?”</p><p> </p><p>“Then we edit this out, that’s what,” Yunho said laughing. The three of them then agreed to go to the authorities first before doing anything.</p><p> </p><p>But first, they had the rest of a castle to explore.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. oh hey we got confirmation- wait why the hell are /you/ here</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>new thoughts, old enemies</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm posting this early because fuck it</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After the boys left the castle, they found themselves in front of Dang-yeonhi Station with Miyoung’s diary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are we really doing this?” San asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I guess we are.” Yunho sighed. “Well, there’s only one way to find out if this thing is real. Let’s go.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three walked inside and were greeted by the woman sitting behind the front desk. “Hello, how may I help you boys?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We— uh…” Yunho paused for a moment. “We’d like to talk to someone about what we found in Jeongjesu castle…” Her head shot up right away as soon as she heard that name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right this way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She led them down a hallway to what San assumed would be the chief's office. They passed numerous pictures of officers on the tan walls, each one with a different quote under it. They all stared intently at the ones passing by, whether it be with information or they </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>the information.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hyejin, what brings you here? Who are the boys?” The man asked in confusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They say they’ve found something in Jeongjesu, and would like to talk about it.” The man’s eyes widened and he brought all of them in front of his desk, sending the woman back to hers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell me, boys, what are your names?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Jeong Yunho, this is my boyfriend, Song Mingi, and our friend, Choi San.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did you find in the castle?” he asked while writing down their names.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We found Miyoung’s diary,” Mingi told him. “We’d like to show you the last page, because…” he trailed off and the officer just looked on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hand the book to me,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yunho gave him the book and he flipped to the last page, reading it to himself. The boys watched as his facial expressions changed before putting it down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where did you find this?” he asked in a panicked manner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“On her bed, sir, it was concealed by the curtains.” Yunho looked to him after saying that, waiting for any confirmation of any kind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You, on the right, San, correct?” San nodded. “We need to take you to the ones in charge of this country.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” San asked with wide eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. That’s our only way to know for sure. Do you live with anyone?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My mom and dad, yes,” San replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s their number?” he asked when reaching for the phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San told him their number. The man dialed and San heard the phone ring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” San heard the voice of his mother echo through his brain. He was scared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, is this Choi San’s mother? I have him down at Dang-yeonhi station with me.” San realized how that could sound to his mom and opened his mouth to say something. Before he could, his mother spoke first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is he in trouble?!” she yelled. San flinched at her loud voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No ma’am, he isn’t, but we still need you to come down to the station along with his father. It’s about what he found in Jeongjesu…” the man said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” The boys almost heard her heart stop from the other side of the phone. She was afraid. “We’ll be right there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>/ / /</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know dude, it sounded like your mom basically confirmed it,” Mingi said when he sat down with San and Yunho in the waiting room of the station. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But how?” San asked. All she said was a simple word of relief, then told the officer she’d be arriving. Mingi looked at him like he had two heads. Yunho turned his head as well, and soon enough both of them were staring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>San.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Yunho said sternly. “She sounded scared.” San thought back to the call and what she said after the officer mentioned Jeongjesu. There was a little bit of fear in her voice, but it could be because she was remembering the time, right? That was all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“San, your parents are here,” Hyejin said. San looked to the door and there they were, looking like they'd been interrupted in some way. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They definitely were, </span>
  </em>
  <span>San thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Baby,” his mother called while running to him. He stood up and greeted her, and both his parents took him into a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” his father asked. San nodded. He wasn’t physically hurt, just baffled at all that happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please come with us.” The man they had met earlier had come to collect all of them, presumably to take them to whoever was in charge. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Us too?” Yunho asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you two were with San when it was discovered.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all walked through the twisted hallways yet again. San’s parents were gripping his arms tightly. It was mostly his mother, and San thought she was afraid she’d lose him. He knew that wouldn’t happen, but it wouldn’t calm her nerves to tell her that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were led out the backdoor to one of the vans parked in the lot. The backside of a police station is something you rarely see; the fences were overgrown with vines, the painted bricks on the wall were uncared for, and there were cracks all over the pavement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The harsh air of autumn hit San’s nose as he was instructed inside of one of the parked vehicles. He shared a car with him and his parents, while Mingi and Yunho were going with them in another car. He couldn’t believe this was happening. The idea of him being royalty seemed so foreign to him. He’d never thought about it, of course, but even if he did, there’s no way he would believe it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s why he was in shock on the way to their destination. He stared out the small window for some time, looking at the passing trees and buildings. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How long will this take? </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He fell asleep soon after without thinking about much more, and was woken up by the officer who had interviewed him in the first place. San rubbed his eyes as he forced himself up, although the energy inside of him had yet to be awoken, too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon, someone from inside the building walked out to greet them all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What brings you all here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well,” the officer said when he looked back at San, “these three boys right here found Na Miyoung’s diary, and…” he trailed off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hand me the diary,” the other man said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He read through it, only stopping at the last page to look up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“San…” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, how do you know my name?” San asked with his eyes wide. The man laughed and grabbed San to bring him inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve kept an eye on you since January 2001, have you not realized?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you mean—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Hyunsu. Now, come along. You guys can follow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mingi and Yunho looked at each other before walking with them. They both smiled and caught up to the rest of the group, almost in disbelief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San himself was still processing what happened. It was like a story out of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>fiction</span>
  </em>
  <span> novel— one that no one would believe is real unless proven. But there he was, standing at the entrance of the capital, waiting for what would happen next, with his parents and two best friends at his side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Soyeon, could you alert Woojin that we’ll be on our way to his office?” the man asked, and the woman at the desk perked her head up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right away, sir!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San recognized Woojin as the current head of the country.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Soyeon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He led them down a hallway that branched off of the main entrance room. The hallway was a golden tan in color with multiple doors off the sides. San felt like he shouldn’t be here. Everything felt so </span>
  <em>
    <span>expensive, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and San was just normal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, he thought he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That had already flown out the window, and now San was seconds away from meeting someone who would talk to him about the fact he was literal royalty. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They reached the door and knocked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in!” Woojin yelled from inside the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They opened the door and there he sat, shuffling through some papers he had gotten ready beforehand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello,” he greeted. “Come and sit down. I know this must be happening all so soon for you, San.” San nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here’s the diary,” the officer said while handing it to Woojin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Woojin skimmed through it then looked back up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, you explored Jeongjesu?” he asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, along with those two, Song Mingi and Jeong Yunho.” San pointed to the ones sitting behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright…” He put the diary down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What next?” San asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, what would you like to do?” San thought about it. He and his parents had never been </span>
  <em>
    <span>super </span>
  </em>
  <span>wealthy; they’d always lived in a small house in an average neighborhood. They had financial problems here and there, so would it hurt to ask if they could get the castle fixed up for him and his family to live in?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We could fix up the castle for you,” Woojin said. San’s eyes lit up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s exactly what I was thinking!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright. It will take a few months, but we’ll do our best.” Woojin smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“San, what are you—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want us to live there, mom,” San interjected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But why?” she asked. San smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I don’t want us to have anymore struggles,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Baby…” San’s parents pulled him into a hug and held him close. He hugged them tighter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Okay that’s really cute,” Yunho said. San pulled away and laughed. He looked at them both with tears in his eyes. He’d finally be able to help them more than he’s always been able to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No don’t cry you’re gonna make me cry!” Mingi whined. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t, I won’t!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so Hyunsu, what would you like to do right now?” Woojin asked, looking to him as he turned back around. That name still felt weird to San.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like to tell everyone?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San thought for a moment before coming up with his answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell them I’m alive, not who I am,” he said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>/ / /</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San closed the door behind him as he walked his way to the first day to school after he knew. It still felt weird and fictional, but he grew a little more used to it. The confirmation from Woojin made him feel a little more comfortable, along with the fact that no one would know yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, San!” Yunho called from a distance. San turned his head and started jogging towards him. It felt like a normal day nonetheless, and it felt to San like he could lead his life normally for a few months before moving into the castle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San soon caught up to him, and realized Mingi wasn’t far.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Yunho! Hey San!” Mingi smiled at both of them before he took Yunho’s hand. San chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You two really love to treat me as a third wheel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and?” Yunho laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s getting a little tiring,” San said with obvious sarcasm. “I don’t have </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could always get someone,” Mingi suggested. San shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right now? In the midst of all the chaos?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you’re right.” Mingi sighed. “Oh, well. At least you have us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you’re right,” San admitted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At least I have them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San felt the breeze on his face as he slid his hands in his pockets. The birds seemed to be singing their ordinary and every-day song, and San found comfort in that. He smiled at the sun and felt it’s heat on his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This feels normal, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I like it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good morning!” the headmaster said as they walked through the door. The three boys bowed to her. They had arrived pretty early, so the crowds weren’t as big. It gave them time to find a place to sit where there weren't many people. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you think that everyone already knows?” San asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Duh, it was, and still is, </span>
  <em>
    <span>everywhere,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Mingi replied. “Dude. I don’t think you realize how big this news is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do—” San looked down, “—I don’t think </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>realize how weird it is to me.” Mingi nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah, you’re the one who’s royalty I guess.” San snapped his head to him faster than light and shushed him. “Oh, right. My bad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just say it quieter next time,” San whined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San started fiddling with his hoodie strings as he sunk lower against the wall. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lay low, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>if I just lay low for now, everything should be fine.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” San realized something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Yunho asked, with a look of worry on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We forgot to do our homework.” San watched as Yunho’s expression changed from worry to panic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you guys did,” Mingi said. “I did it perfectly.” They both looked at him knowing he was lying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their stares lasted for a few seconds before Mingi finally admitted his bluff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, fine. I didn’t do shit,” he admitted. “But seriously, what are we gonna do about it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you both dumb?” Yunho asked in pure confusion. “We can literally do it right here right now. With each other’s help too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all busted out into laughter and got to work. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>/ / /</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Oh fuck </b>
  <b>
    <em>off!</em>
  </b>
  <span>” Both Yunho and Mingi looked at San with concern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And why exactly are you scowling?” Yunho asked. San looked angry. It looked like he was more angry than he had been in his entire life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s here.” Yunho looked to where San was looking, but didn’t notice anything wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And who exactly is that?” he asked. San furrowed his eyebrows even further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you guys remember when I told you that in elementary school, this one dude always pissed me off?” It was like a lightbulb had just lit up in both of the other’s heads.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that him?” Mingi asked, and San nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what is he doing here?” Yunho looked back at San. “I thought you said he moved.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He did,” San said with a sigh, before grabbing onto his backpack straps tighter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So he moved back?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apparently.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San tried to walk on and ignore him, but the boy recognized San. He smiled a mischievous smile and walked over to him, knowing full well that San already knew he was here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello, San,” the boy said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go away Wooyoung.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, come on, you’re not going to greet an old friend?” he asked, bending down low enough so that San had to look at him, even if he was looking down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You aren’t my friend,” San said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ouch, tough love,” Wooyoung said, while dramatically holding his heart, acting like he’d been stabbed. San only rolled his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not ‘tough love,’ it’s called ‘I don’t like you.’” San tried to walk around Wooyoung, but Wooyoung just stepped in front of him again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, San, at least say hi,” Wooyoung said. “Even if we aren’t friends, we have known each other for years.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine. Hi.” San tried to ignore him as he walked around Wooyoung yet again, trying his best to just get to his next class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From what San had seen already, everyone loved Wooyoung, even if he was the new kid. As he passed people through the halls, he could hear them nickname him “hot guy” or “hottie new kid.” He knew Wooyoung was pretty, yes, but that didn’t stop him from hating his guts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why?” San asked as soon as he walked into his next class. There he was. Jung Wooyoung. The bastard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was sitting in the middle of the room with people surrounding him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What a cocky bitch.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You could almost see the confidence radiating from him and his facial expressions. He had that signature </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m hot and I know it </span>
  </em>
  <span>smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San, however, just sat in the back. He didn’t feel like dealing with Wooyoung, because he had more important things on his mind, like how he’d have to lead a country.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a lot to think about, but it was better than thinking about </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. bye, adios, kiss my ass! (speeches are man's worst enemy)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>San leaves school for the last time to head for his castle.</p><p>But then, he's obligated to give a speech.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry they keep getting shorter lmao i promise the next chapter will be longer</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“How did you deal with Wooyoung?” asked Yunho when they sat down to eat. “That bastard is cocky as hell.” San shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been almost two months since everything happened. They switched classes, and San could tell that Yunho got one with Wooyoung.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everyone won’t shut up about him,” Mingi said. “I can literally hear them talking in the halls and it’s all ‘Wooyoung this!’ or ‘Wooyoung that!’” </span>
  <em>
    <span>And that’s why I despise him, </span>
  </em>
  <span>San thought. He kept picking at his food.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yunho agreed with Mingi. “Right. It’s way too annoying.” He suddenly had a thought— one that he had forgotten about until he thought about which one of them would get away from him first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By the way, San—” San looked up at Yunho, who was looking for his answer, “—when will you be moving?” San thought about it, then realized that it shouldn’t be very much longer. Woojin said it would take a couple of months, and that was exactly the amount of time that passed by since he found out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty soon, I think.” San smiled, knowing he’d get away from each and every bastard that he didn’t want to be around seven hours of the day. One face in particular entered his mind, and of course that was Wooyoung. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank fuck.</span>
  </em>
  <span> [a/n: san i’m so sorry]</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lucky,” Yunho whined. “You’ll probably have people to help you out with school too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah, but still.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look guys,” San said. “There’s no way I would ever forget you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We know that, idiot,” Mingi said. He rolled his eyes before he said, “We’re quite literally your best friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your only friends,” Yunho corrected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San’s face soured as he looked over to the trash cans. Wooyoung seemed to follow him everywhere he went, whether intentional or not. San hated it. Why wouldn’t Wooyoung just leave him alone and avoid him like San did?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as the people around him adored him. He didn’t need to boost his own ego. He had almost the whole school to do that for him. One thing about Wooyoung, San knew, was that he loved attention. Good or bad didn’t matter, he wanted it all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re doing it again,” Yunho pointed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” San snapped back to reality. [a/n: oop there goes gravity]</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Staring.” San shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever,” Yunho said. “Just try not to make it so obvious.”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>San looked at the clock at the front of the cafeteria. Lunch was almost over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Choi San,” the headmaster called. “You’re needed in the front office.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, guys,” San apologized as he packed up his stuff, since he’d be in there longer than the rest of lunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He left as quickly as possible. Maybe his castle was finally ready. Maybe he’d finally get to be away from it all, not having to worry that much about school, since he was about to run a country. He still needed school, yes, but not as much as San’s been through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He passed through the winding halls, walking by all of the classrooms and windows. Hopefully, it would be the last time he’d be seeing them, and he could wave goodbye and tell the school to kiss his ass. That sounded like a good plan to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he got there, he found exactly what he wanted to see; Woojin, and the officer. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, there you are.” Woojin pat San on the shoulder. San bowed to him before Woojin was taken aback and shook his head. “No, I should be the one bowing to </span>
  <em>
    <span>you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why?” San asked. “You’re still the one in charge, sir…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not for long.” San remembered that castles came with the consequence of ruling a country. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Right.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San smiled at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, do you want to come and check it out?” Woojin asked. San’s eyes lit up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And they were on their way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>/ / /</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey San, you know there’s a policy that if one royal child found out, the other will have to find out as well?” Mingi asked over Skype. San was laying on his new bed with his laptop in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” San said. “I just don’t know who Jaehee is yet.” San sighed as he thought about who he’d be okay with Jaehee being. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just hope it isn’t Wooyoung,” Yunho admitted. San shrivelled into a ball of disgust. If anyone, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>San</span>
  </em>
  <span> hoping it wasn’t him. He’d rather work with a dumpster full of racoons on fire than work with that bastard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t jinx it!” San yelled. “Seriously Yunho, don’t even mention that.” Yunho nodded and shut his mouth. He knew San didn’t want to think about the possibility of that happening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s so big in there,” Mingi said, trying to change the subject. “How do you even find your way around?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A map.” They laughed. “What? I’m serious. I have a map!” San grabbed the map to show them. It had every square inch of that castle laid out. The boy’s shocked faces made San laugh this time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Damn.” Mingi stared in wonder. He’d never been in a place so big it needed a map. Until the castle, of course.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By the way, how are things going at school without me?” San asked. He laughed as Mingi and Yunho adopted faces of disgust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Wooyoung’s still a bitch if you’re wondering,” Yunho said exasperated. San nodded. He knew that much. Wooyoung would always be a bitch, right? It was in his blood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Other than that, things are just normal.” San snapped out of the thoughts in his head and nodded. His identity hadn’t been revealed yet, though he guessed it would be soon that the announcement would be made.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San was being prepared to give a speech to his people. He was anxious and nervous, of course, because it was a public speech in front of millions. Public speech classes were thankfully provided for him, so he didn’t have to worry about doing badly. He was just on edge about the speech in general.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the three had hung up, San decided he should start on his school work. He still had to take classes, just not public ones. The </span>
  <em>
    <span>public </span>
  </em>
  <span>part of classes was what San hated the most, and now that that part was gone, he felt like he could finally relax a little, even if the whole world’s eyes were on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was thankful the people were gone, but they wouldn’t be gone for long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>/ / /</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi everyone— no, that’s not right. it needs to be more formal. Hello to all,” San muttered to himself while pacing his library. His speech would be starting soon, and all he needed to do was figure out a greeting and make sure he wouldn’t make any mistakes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mistakes were San’s worst enemy, but they were even more than an enemy when he had to do something important. This was the most important thing he felt he’d have to do in his entire life. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No mistakes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Being surrounded by books, however, seemed to help him lay his thoughts straight. Something about thousands of worlds and stories encasing him in his own imagination gave him comfort. San knew he wasn’t the only one, and he knew it was like this for millions of people. That, too, calmed him down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m normal. I’m ordinary.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The walls of the shelves reached almost to the ceiling, and he could see books as far as his eyes would allow him to. He wondered what was inside of each one, and he wanted to find out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m definitely going to have to make time to read them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked outside and there was his garden, sitting neat and pretty after being cared for by his gardener. The flowers and plants were scattered all around the area. He thought of when he was a kid, with not a care in the world. His mother also had a garden once. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I want to sit out there with her one day.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later, as he finished the last of his speech, his advisor knocked on the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in,” San called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir, it’s time to take you out for your speech,” the advisor informed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>San nodded and started walking towards him. His blood ran cold at the word </span>
  <em>
    <span>speech,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but he knew he could do it. After all, that practice wasn’t for nothing. He’d been practicing for weeks on end. And practice makes better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was led out of the castle’s front doors, which a few weeks ago had been boarded. Now they were fancy and beautiful, waiting for someone to walk in and see what was inside. Outside, however, was already bustling with people who had yet to look San’s way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he walked onto the platform in front of them, then all eyes were on him. He smiled to the people as he adjusted the mic to his liking and adjusted himself accordingly and properly. Then, it was time to give the speech.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello to all,” he said, not taking his eyes off of the crowd. Eye contact was something he’d been taught in his public speech classes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is me, Hyunsu. You were gathered here today to hear the future of your country.” San could spot a few familiar faces in the crowd, mostly from his former school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“First things first, you may have known me by the name Choi San. That is obviously not my real name.” He took a breath. “Continuing from now, I will be leading the country along with Jeon Jaehee, who has yet to be revealed to me.” The people looked at each other in shock that Jaehee was alive, too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This country will continue as normal, though with a few changes we will make over time based on your opinion. Your opinions matter.” The people cheered. That was a good sign to keep going.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let us make this country a better place, and great for all.” The people cheered yet again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>/ / /</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hyunsu, we found Jaehee.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. hey god? i have a bone to pick with you. and by bone i mean I WILL EAT YOU ALIVE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>San finds out who Jaehee is, and Jaehee might just have an unrequited crush.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ur getting this unedited good luck</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>“Hyunsu, we found Jaehee.” The sentence rang in San’s head as he was caught off guard from the work he was doing, only to become more stressed by his advisor’s words.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What?” asked San, with his eyes widening. His advisor nodded.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Yes. He’s on his way here right now, along with a few officers as well.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>San ran his fingers through his hair as he exhaled. This was sure news to him— he had no idea who it even </span><em><span>could</span></em><span> be. All he could’ve done was hope it was someone he could at the very least tolerate, let alone someone he could like and get along with.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“For now, you can read a book or watch a movie,” the advisor told him. San nodded.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He had many books he kept in his mind under the label </span><em><span>read later,</span></em><span> and then was the perfect time to get to doing that. He probably wouldn’t be reading for long, he assumed, so his mind landed on a pretty short one that was still very interesting to him.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>So he read for as long as it took for Jaehee to get there.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>/ / /</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>As soon as police showed up at Wooyoung’s classroom door, he had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He knew he didn’t do anything </span><em><span>illegal </span></em><span>(not that he knew of, anyways), but having police at your school asking for you is really the last thing you’d want on a Friday morning.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>But there they were, in his classroom door, asking for him. </span><em><span>What did I do to deserve this?</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Wooyoung stood up when the teacher called him to. He gulped.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What did I do?” Wooyoung asked the officers, unsure of what they’d say.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You didn’t do anything, son, just come with us and we’ll explain.” He nodded at them. At least he wasn’t in trouble– that was the last thing he needed to explain to his parents. The first being, well…</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He didn’t want to think about it.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Alright…” he replied, being hesitant. He walked back to his desk to pick up his stuff, and was suddenly aware of everyone staring at him. He met his classmate’s eyes and wanted nothing more than to get out of there quicker. He almost started throwing his things in his bag.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He jogged out of the door to meet the officers, who then led him to the door to exit the school. Wooyoung looked up at them in confusion.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Where are you taking me?” he asked. He was being pointed to a car. This only furthered his confusion, did they lie? Was he actually in trouble?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“To Jeongjesu Castle,” replied the head officer.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Wooyoung stepped back. He opened his mouth to question it, but nothing would come out. Of all places, why there? What were they keeping from him? The questions only continued as the officer laughed at him. The head one quieted his buddies.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You’re probably confused,” he said, and Wooyoung nodded. “Let me explain.” Wooyoung nodded at him. He was getting an answer to his questions. They all got in the car first and sat down. The head officer sat beside Wooyoung.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Well, you see, you aren’t Jung Wooyoung.” Wooyoung’s eyes widened at the answer. What does that mean? Does he not exist? Wooyoung felt like he could die right at that moment.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What?” he questioned. The officer nodded.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You heard me correctly.” Wooyoung raised his eyebrows more. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. The officer took a breath before breaking the news to him.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Your real name is Jeon Jaehee.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>To say Wooyoung’s jaw dropped was an understatement. Surprisingly, his first thought wasn’t about him being a literal prince. No; his first thought was </span><em><span>San isn’t going to like this.</span></em><span> He sat in silence, wondering what the future would bring.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“That’s a lot to take in for you, isn’t it?” Wooyoung nodded. The officer smiled at him with empathy.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I can understand that,” he said. All was quiet, until the officer realized he had one thing that he had yet to inform the prince. “We’re taking you to meet Hyunsu.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Wooyoung’s eyes widened as he yelled, “wait!” In the car, everyone started staring at him (except the driver, obviously), and Wooyoung swore he could feel his heart beating in his throat. The same throat that San would rip out if he found out Wooyoung was Jaehee.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“He’s my former classmate,” explained the exasperated boy, trying to get the others to understand. They nodded as if asking him to continue. “But he hates me…”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The head officer was in a state of confusion at the younger boy’s words. “What makes you think that, son?” he asked.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“He’s openly expressed it since I knew him back in elementary school,” Wooyoung explained. “I moved away afterwards, but when I moved back here a few months ago, I saw him again. His feelings towards me clearly haven’t changed.” Wooyoung looked at them, and they were all speechless. The car ride stayed silent until the head officer spoke up.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Well…” said the officer, chuckling ironically. “That’s a problem.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Obviously,” Wooyoung said.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The man looked to the floor, trying to figure out what to say next. The awkward quietness of the car was growing louder with each second, with all of them getting more uncomfortable. One of them finally decided to speak.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I don’t know what we’re going to do about that,” one of the officers admitted, “but for right now, we just need to get you to the castle. We’ll figure something out.” Wooyoung nodded.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He looked out the window and realized the life that he would soon have left behind. All of his memories that he held close, all of the friendships he made, all of the people he knew and that knew him— all of that seemed like it was gone already. He said the last goodbye to it all in his head, but it didn’t seem like enough.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Wooyoung wanted to go back in time and thank everyone he met, no matter how small of the impact they had on his life. Even San.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>No one else knew, but San was very special to him. Yes, San may have hated his guts, but that didn’t stop Wooyoung from thinking about him in a way he knows he shouldn’t be. He thought about the time he first saw him again a few months ago, and the way his heart almost stopped completely. He thought about the euphoria he felt just when hearing his name. He thought about San, but he knew San wasn’t thinking about him. At least not in the same way.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Whenever Wooyoung came to that realization, he got sad. He </span><em><span>wanted </span></em><span>San to think about him like that. The amount of tears shed over him could not have been counted. Wooyoung longed for him. Maybe that’s why San found him so annoying— Wooyoung couldn’t leave him alone. That’s why San hated him.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Wooyoung continued to get more lost in his thoughts as he didn’t realize how close they were to the castle. He saw the greenery and flowers in the driveway, and snapped out of his head. </span><em><span>We’re here already?</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The car pulled into a spot before the doorway, and Wooyoung’s heart rate quickened. This was it. This was the last time his life would be “normal.” He bit his lip and hesitantly unbuckled himself. One of the castle helpers, he assumed, opened the door for him. He bowed out of politeness, but that was now unnecessary. The castle doors opened.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Fuck,” whispered Wooyoung.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The head officer grabbed his arm and led him toward the doors, which now revealed San’s advisor, patiently waiting for the men to step closer before speaking to them.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Come on, Jaehee,” the officer said to him.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Hyunsu should be here in a second, I have already sent for him,” the advisor informed the men. Wooyoung nodded. Then, he saw San’s head behind the advisor. He was looking down, and obviously didn’t see him yet, but that didn’t stop Wooyoung’s mind from racing along with his heart. He didn’t know what to feel.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He felt happy, yes, because it was </span><em><span>Choi-fucking-San, </span></em><span>but he also felt uneasy and nervous about San’s reaction.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Ah, there you are Hyunsu.” The man stepped aside to reveal San’s full form and </span><em><span>god was he pretty. </span></em><span>San was wearing a red vest with a white undershirt and a black tie. His hair fell perfectly around his eyes just enough to bring out his face shape. Wooyoung was in awe.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Meet Jaehee.” Wooyoung snapped back to reality once more.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>San stared for a few seconds before muttering a quiet “</span><em><span>What?</span></em><span>”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Wooyoung took every feature of his face in with widened eyes. San’s eyes looked to be just as wide. You could’ve seen the color physically drain from his face, as if that was even possible. Everything was suddenly silent.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Wooyoung waved slowly to him. “Hey, San…”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>San laughed in disbelief. He wanted this to be a dream. He wanted Jaehee to be someone he could’ve tolerated, but that got thrown out the window. Wooyoung was here, in front of him, and he was being introduced as his prince partner.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“</span><em><span>You’re </span></em><span>Jaehee?!” The others had yet to notice he said that with anger. They just looked on, not knowing what would happen next. Wooyoung gulped.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Yeah… sorry about that,” he said, averting his eyes to look at the concrete which at the moment, seemed very interesting to him. San just stared ahead at him, not knowing what to do or say. He knew he’d have to work with him no matter what, and that was obvious, but he wondered what crimes he committed in his past life to deserve </span><em><span>this.</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>San sighed. “Just get inside for now.” Wooyoung looked back up and smirked.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You care about me?” he asked. He could feel San’s ice cold glare on him, piercing through his soul. </span><em><span>Scary, </span></em><span>Wooyoung thought, </span><em><span>But also… </span></em><b><em>hot.</em></b><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Shutting up,” Wooyoung said as he snapped his mouth closed.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>/ / /</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Wooyoung and San were now in the dining room eating their evening meal, but on opposite sides of the table. San was staring at Wooyoung, taking it in that this would be his co-worker for the rest of his god-forsaken life. There was something about Wooyoung that interested him, though. </span><em><span>Why is he so obsessed with me?</span></em> <span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>San kept staring in interest and didn’t notice Wooyoung’s smile growing.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You know,” Wooyoung said smugly, “you don’t have to stare at me like that all the time. I see it whenever you do.” San finally looked down at his food and Wooyoung laughed. San was just confused.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Like what?” he asked.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You look like you hove me.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>San was made more confused than ever. “...Hove?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Hate and love,” Wooyoung said with a wink. San didn’t say anything. He just continued eating, pretending Wooyoung wasn’t there and didn’t say that.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You know, silence means you do.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I don’t,” San admitted. Wooyoung laughed.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Sure.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I’m not lying,” San said with his voice stern.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“No, it’s okay,” Wooyoung assured. His smile dropped as he said, “I believe you.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Tch.” San finished up the last of his meal and stood up. He started walking towards the door and left Wooyoung by himself.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“San…” he called. San didn’t listen. “San!” He still didn’t listen as he closed the door behind him. Wooyoung sat there teary-eyed.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He then began to think about all the what-ifs. What if San didn’t hate him?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>If that were the case, he’d be happier. He’d be happy that he would get to work with him, and it wouldn’t be a problem. He even would’ve had the chance to kiss him. Wooyoung kept sitting there, thinking of scenarios to fill his head and the emptiness in his heart. When he needed to feel better, he always thought of one…</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>- - -</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><em><span>Wooyoung and San were back at Wooyoung’s house, cuddling on his bed. They held each other so close you’d think they were giving their last goodbye. Wooyoung’s face was buried in San’s neck and San was resting his chin on the other boy’s head.</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>“San,” Wooyoung said.</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>“Hm?”</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>“Do you still love me?”</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>San was taken aback by the question asked. He scoffed and pulled Wooyoung up, forcing them to make eye contact. Wooyoung looked into his eyes, which were filled with love.</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>“You listen to me, Jung Wooyoung.” He nodded. San was serious. “I always have. And I will never stop.” He planted a kiss on Wooyoung’s head.</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>“Try to calm the voices, yeah?”</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>“Okay.”</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>“Good. I will keep reminding you until the day I die. You deserve the world.”</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>“Promise?”</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>“Promise.”</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>Wooyoung smiled as San grabbed his hand and kissed the ring on his finger. He remembered their wedding and all of the people there. He remembered the night after, and the way he gently carried him up the stairs to bed so they could cuddle all night. He remembered the way San treated him; soft and with care.</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>San pulled him into a real kiss and Wooyoung smiled into it. He was content. He was happy.</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><span>- - -</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Wooyoung awoke from his daydream to find himself still alone in the dining room. His food had not yet gotten cold, but his heart felt it. He also felt a tear roll down his cheek, the first one he let out in a long time. But this time, he allowed it to happen. He allowed the tears, and allowed the pain.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“He hates me,” he whispered to himself.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>/ / /</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I don’t know what to do,” San admitted while staring at the screen in front of him. Yunho was eating chips and Mingi was trying to flip himself upside down.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Yeah, we heard…” Yunho said. Both of the boys pitied him. He didn’t </span><em><span>need</span></em><span> their pity, but it did feel nice to have people who at least knew the emotions he was experiencing. Mingi sat right side up and grabbed his phone. San could tell he was hungry, too.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I just…” San paused. He looked back to the screen to see the boys’ sad expressions.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“San,” Mingi said, “it’ll be okay. I promise.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“How do you know?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Mingi smiled at him.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Because,” he grabbed a bag of cheetos, “you only technically have to listen to him when you’re working together.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Which is all the time,” said San.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Not necessarily.” San looked at Yunho in confusion.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What do you mean?” he asked.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You only have to work with him when you’re both making decisions for the country, right?” San nodded.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“See?” Yunho said. “Just avoid him the other 90% of the time. Easy.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>San’s jaw dropped. How did he not think of this before?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You guys,” he said. “You’re both geniuses!”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Only the best of the best,” said Mingi with confidence.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Shut up, you’re turning into Wooyoung,” San replied. All of their faces soured at the name.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Never,” Yunho said. They laughed.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Thanks guys.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Anytime!” San hung up the call.</span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>enjoy the "fluff" which was just in woo's head because i needed a break from the angst</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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